ELE000172M
BEng/MEng Degree Examinations 2024-5
Department:
School of Physics, Engineering and Technology
Title of Exam:
Research Methods Theory & Data Analysis
Time Allowed:
Twenty-Four hours (Please note: papers submitted more than 30 minutes after the
deadline will not be marked)
Time Recommended:
Eight hours
Allocation of Marks:
One question worth 40 marks. Answer all sub parts.
Instructions for Candidates:
You should attempt all sub parts to the question.
You may write all of your answers by hand, use a mix of handwritten and typed
answers, or type all of your answers.
Whatever method you use, you must submit
your answers in a single pdf document.
Use only black or blue pen for any handwritten answers. Begin each question on a
new page and clearly write the question number on each page.
More detailed instructions regarding submission of your work and conduct during the
open exam is given on the next page.
Please read this carefully before you
begin, including the information regarding the conduct expected of you during
the exam.
Paper Queries:
Please see the detailed instructions on the next page regarding
exam queries.
The exam setter for this exam is Dr Masoumeh Jahani who if
necessary can be contacted by email at [email protected].
Please
copy any email that you send to the Chair of Board of Examiners
([email protected]) and to [email protected].
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A note on Academic Integrity:
We are treating this online examination as a time-limited open assessment, and you
are therefore permitted to refer to written and online materials to aid you in your
answers.
However, you must ensure that the work you submit is entirely your own,
and for the whole time the assessment is live you must not:
●
communicate with departmental staff on the topic of the assessment,
except for the exam setter.
●
communicate with other students on the topic of this assessment.
●
seek assistance with the assignment from the academic and/or disability
support services, such as the Writing and Language Skills Centre, Maths
Skills Centre and/or Disability Services. (The only exception to this will be
for those students who have been recommended an exam support worker
in a Student Support Plan. If this applies to you, you are advised to
contact Disability Services as soon as possible to discuss the necessary
arrangements.)
●
seek advice or contribution from any third party, including proof-readers,
friends, or family members.
We expect, and trust, that all our students will seek to maintain the integrity of the
assessment, and of their award, through ensuring that these instructions are strictly
followed. Failure to adhere to these requirements will be considered a breach of the
Academic Misconduct regulations, where the offences of plagiarism,
breach/cheating, collusion and commissioning are relevant - see AM.1.2.1
Please make sure you note the following detailed instructions:
●
If you do not submit by the deadline you will score a mark of zero unless
you submit in the first 30 minutes after the deadline in which case your
mark will be subject to a 5% late penalty. The deadline is not flexible and it
may take a while for your file to be processed through the system so make
sure you submit in good time to allow for this.
●
You must submit your answers as a single pdf file. Please check that all
scanned pages are clear and visible before you submit. The Adobe Scan
app is a free app that works on all smartphones and can be used to
photograph and then connect together all the scans into a single
document. Remember to ensure all your pages are in the correct order.
●
Please make sure that every page is clearly labelled with the question
number. You should number your pages.
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●
The file size limit for anonymised work submitted online is 99MB per file.
Please see Compressing File Sizes (Student Guide) for details on
reducing the file sizes. If your submission remains too large or if you
experience genuine technical difficulties when trying to submit, then you
should email your submission to [email protected]. If the
assessment is too large to send by email, you may use the University of
York Deposit Service. If using this service as the back-up please specify
[email protected] as the recipient of the drop-off. Please do
not use this backup option if the VLE submission has worked properly and
you have received a receipt.
●
University policy is that corrections or clarifications to the questions in the
exam paper will only be issued within the first hour of the submission
window. Therefore if outside the first hour you should answer the question
as best as you can and note the assumptions that you have made to allow
you to proceed.
●
All submissions may be screened for collusion and plagiarism. By
submitting your assignment you agree to the University rules on Collusion
and Plagiarism. The Department will run submissions through Turnitin
wherever possible.
For more information visit york.ac.uk/integrity.
●
You may make multiple submissions up to the assessment deadline but
by default, we will mark your last submission before the deadline.
It is your responsibility to make sure your submission is correct. It is
recommended that you download the file to check that you have submitted the right
document,
Page 4 of 9
Question:
[40 marks]
Write a consultancy report for GreenBuild Materials investigating factors influencing
employee productivity. Your report should include the following sections:
A. Introduction (200 to 250 Words):
[6 marks]
This section should explain the report's purpose and value to the Executive Board.
• It should clearly outline your specific hypotheses relevant to the research
question.
[3 marks]
•
You need to identify relevant variables from your hypotheses and
provide reasons for your chosen research direction.
[3 marks]
B. Methodology (200 to 250 Words):
[11 marks]
• You need to explain the methods / tests you used to conduct the
research process - including data cleaning procedures.
[5 marks]
•
You need to provide reasons for each of your choices.
[6 marks]
C. Results (250 words):
[10 marks]
• Present the findings using charts or tables created in SPSS, Excel,
Python, or another statistical software.
[5 marks]
•
Use diagrams, graphs, or charts to present the data clearly and visually
illustrate productivity scores across shifts, noise levels, and other
variables. You should provide a complete picture of the empirical
analysis and not pick-and-choose findings based on their significance.
[5 marks]
D. Discussion and Reflection (100 words to 150 words):
[10 marks]
• Interpret the statistical findings to address the research questions,
highlighting factors that significantly affect productivity.
E. Conclusion (50 words to 100 words):
[3 marks]
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• Provide actionable recommendations for GreenBuild to improve
scheduling, work environments, or employee engagement based on the
findings.
Supplementary Evidence Requirement
You must include supplementary evidence, such as graphical data or tables
generated in SPSS or another statistical software, to enhance clarity and support
your findings. Evidence may include histograms, bar charts, box plots, correlation
matrices, or ANOVA output tables.
Note: The instructions are outlined as follows:
Case: GreenBuild Materials - Manufacturing Efficiency
Consultancy Report for GreenBuild Materials: Investigating the Effect of
Workplace Factors on Employee Productivity
GreenBuild Materials is a leading company in sustainable construction, operating
multiple manufacturing facilities across the region. Recently, the Board of Directors
has raised concerns about variable productivity levels among employees across
different shifts and environmental conditions. They believe that factors such as shift
type, noise exposure, workplace temperature, employee satisfaction, and salary may
significantly impact productivity, affecting overall efficiency.
To gain a clearer understanding of these factors, GreenBuild conducted a survey
among their manufacturing workforce. The data collected will help the company
identify the most influential factors on productivity, enabling the Board to implement
targeted changes to optimize employee performance and satisfaction. Some key
questions they are interested in exploring include:
• How do different shift types (morning, afternoon, night) impact productivity?
• Is there a relationship between noise level exposure and employee
productivity?
• Does workplace temperature affect productivity levels?
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• What is the correlation between employee satisfaction and productivity?
• How does annual salary relate to productivity scores?
You may be able to think of other important questions the company should be asking
that can be answered by this data set. Marks will be awarded for deeper insights and
additional exploration of the dataset.
Dataset overview:
The dataset comprises responses from 120 employees across GreenBuild’s
facilities, with data collected on the following key variables:
• Employee ID: Unique identifier for each participant.
• Age: Age of the employee.
• Gender: Gender of the employee.
• Shift Type: Type of shift (Morning, Afternoon, Night) worked by the employee.
• Noise Level Exposure: Noise exposure level in the workplace (Low, Medium,
High).
• Workplace Temperature (°C): Average temperature in the employee’s work
area.
• Employee Satisfaction: Satisfaction level on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5
indicating “highly/Very satisfied.”
• Productivity Score: Productivity score based on performance evaluations on
a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is the highest productivity score.
• Years at Company: Duration of employment at GreenBuild.
• Training Hours Last Year: Training hours completed in the past year.
• Workload Intensity: Perceived job intensity (Low, Moderate, High).
• Annual Salary (£): Annual salary of the employee in British pounds (£).
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Instructions for Candidates:
Your task is firstly to explore which variables relating to salary are the most
important, then statistically analyse the dataset gathered by the Board of
Directors and use the findings from your analysis to write a report for the
Executive Board.
Your statistical analysis should follow these steps:
Instruction:
Step 1: Formulate Appropriate Hypotheses:
• To answer the research question, you will need to select relevant hypotheses
- there is a strong recommendation to propose three hypotheses in total.
This step will be important in shaping your statistical analysis and guiding the
investigative journey.
Step 2: Identify relevant variables from your hypotheses:
• You need to identify what the relevant variables are for your selected
hypotheses. These variables will play a crucial role in shaping the study's focus
and analytical framework.
Step 3: Complete Data Cleaning:
• Before the analysis phase, rigorous data cleaning procedures are essential to
ensure the dataset is accurate, reliable, and ready for scrutiny. This preparatory
step should fix any dataset discrepancies or anomalies that might affect the
validity of the findings.
Step 4: Identifying and applying statistical tests for analysis:
• The core of the research process involves systematically conducting statistical
tests and analysis to assess the validity of the formulated hypotheses. This step
is central to uncovering empirical evidence and gaining a better understanding
of the research question.
Step 5: Interpret the results:
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• The insights derived from the analysis, whether significant or not, will require
effective interpretation. Use diagrams, graphs, or charts to clarify / visualise
the findings.
Step 6: Write your Report.
• The report must be between 800 to 1000 words. This word count ensures a
concise yet thorough presentation of the research process, findings, and
implications.
Note: Graphical evidence such as graphs and tables are excluded from the word
count.
Additional information:
● No references are required.
● You must add supplementary evidence such as graphical data from SPSS or
any statistical tools you used for this data analysis.
● Cover page, contents list, figures, appendices, and references are excluded
from the total word count.
Course Tutors: Dr Masoumeh Jahani
Moderated by:
Dr Bidyut Baruah
ELE00172M Research Methods, Theory and Data Analysis 2024-25
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Open- Book Exam (40 Marks) – Marking and Feedback Sheet
Student name/identifier:
Marker:
Mark:
Introduction (6 Marks) Mark:
● Selection of specific hypotheses relevant to the research question (3 Marks)
● Identification of relevant variables from your hypotheses (3 Marks)
Methodology (11 Marks) Mark:
● Explanation of data cleaning procedures, (5 Marks)
● Justification for the selected tests and analyses (6 Marks)
Result (10 Marks) Mark:
● Presentation your findings through your analysis. (5 Marks)
● Efficient use of relevant graphical aids (5 Marks)
Discussion and Reflection (10 Marks) Mark:
● Quality and relevance of the interpretation of data to research question
Conclusion (3 Marks) Mark:
● Clarity of the recommendation to the board relevant to the aim of the
research project
END OF PAPER
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